It might be really hard to find somebody who doesn’t like the music of the 1980s. Throughout the entire decade, some of the best rock songs came out. However, they are all so good that they are still being sung today, including these three. All released in 1982, it’s nearly impossible not to smile when listening to them, even after so many years.
“White Wedding” by Billy Idol
Billy Idol is the sole writer of “White Wedding”. The song, part of Idol’s eponymous debut album, is his second Top 40 single in the United States, after “Hot In The City”.
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“White Wedding” says, “Hey little sister, who’s your Superman? / Hey little sister, who’s the one you want? / Hey little sister, shotgun / It’s a nice day to start again / It’s a nice day for a white wedding / It’s a nice day to start again.”
Idol’s inspiration for “White Wedding” came from his own sister.
“I have a sister, Jane,” Idol tells Louder. He adds that his sister was pregnant, leading to her own wedding. “Everything was totally all right, but I thought to myself: ‘What if this had happened 30 years ago? There would’ve been a huge outcry.’ I put a slight twist in the song to give it more of a dramatic edge – I couldn’t help it.”
“This Man Is Mine” by Heart
On Private Audition, Heart’s sixth studio album, is “This Man Is Mine”. Heart’s own Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson wrote this Top 40 song, along with Sue Ennis. Private Audition only had one hit single, and it’s this song.
“This Man Is Mine” is putting a proverbial stake in the ground as a warning about a man’s availability. It says in part, “All I got is this to say / Simple message to relay / Get out of here and just keep away / ‘Cause this man is mine / This man is mine / This man, this man is mine.”
“Hungry Like The Wolf” by Duran Duran
“Hungry Like The Wolf” is Duran Duran’s first Top 5 single. The song, written by the members of the band, is part of Duran Duran’s sophomore Rio record.
The slightly nonsensical song says in part, “In touch with the ground / I’m on the hunt down, I’m after you / Smell like I sound, I’m lost in a crowd / And I’m hungry like the wolf.”
“The song was written in an afternoon,” Duran Duran’s John Taylor tells Complex. “And what’s the song lyrically about? I don’t really know. What do you think it’s about? Simon likes animal metaphors.”
Still, in spite of the message not making much sense, it remains one of their biggest hits.
Photo by Jim Wilson/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
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Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
